Jaryd Tiff remembered for smiles, ability to make others feel better

LONGMONT -- Don Tiff looked out at the hundreds of people gathered to remember the life of his 21-year-old son on Monday night and concluded that he and his wife had done well raising him.

"I am proud of how he turned out. I wish I could be more like him. His cup was never half-empty," he said.

Jaryd Tiff, 21, was known for having a constant smile, an uncanny ability to lighten anyone's dark mood, and easy-going catch phrases like, "It's all good," and "No worries," according to many people who shared memories at Dicken's Opera House.

Jaryd Tiff died early Saturday morning in a head-on crash on U.S. Highway 36 near Longhorn Road.

Jaryd Tiff is seen in this undated photo pulled from a public facebook page.

According to police, the 2010 Skyline High School graduate was one of two passengers ejected from a westbbound 2003 Volkswagen Jetta after it crossed the cetnerline of the highway and collided head-on with a 2013 Audi RS5.

According to the Colorado State Patrol, neither Jaryd Tiff nor his friend, 21-year-old Austin Shanley, was buckled into the car when it crashed and then repeatedly rolled off of the south side of the highway.

Shanley suffered critical injuries in the wreck.

Driver Kevin Winnie, 22, was not buckled in, either, and he suffered moderate injuries. He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault, driving under the influence, driving under the influence per se, reckless driving and failing to drive on the right side of the road.

The driver of the Audi, 37-year-old Jose Pacheco of Deming, N.M., suffered minor injuries, the patrol reported. He was wearing a seatbelt.

Jaryd's mother, Candyce Tiff, said the three men in the car were lifelong friends and she feels badly for Winnie and his family. He is due in court on Wednesday for filing of charges.

Tiff's father said he was nervous to attend the memorial ,but he felt better to feel the love from those his son's life touched.

Candyce Tiff said it was difficult to hear condolences, but she appreciated hearing how others knew her son.

"It is so great hearing it from so many different people," she said, smiling with tears in her eyes.

Many who attended repeated the phrases and laughed as they remembered his saying them. They recalled a young man who was enthusiastic about traveling and enjoyed both basketball and baseball.

They remembered someone who wouldn't let others wallow in a bad day.Nicole Hosier, Jaryd's cousin, said she and her cousin were so close, they were like siblings. She called him her "brosin."

The Pumphouse Brewery, where Jaryd Tiff worked for three years, closed Monday so his co-workers could celebrate his memory at Dickens Opera House with other friends and family members.
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Greg Lindstrom
)

She saw him only about 45 minutes before the crash when they happened to run into one another at a Boulder bar. They took a photo together in an embrace, each wearing big smiles.

"We were in the same place at the same time for a reason," she said.

Jaryd Tiff worked at the Pumphouse Brewery & Restaurant, which closed its doors for the memorial."He just turned 21 last week," said manager Melissa Leaneagh, who said Tiff worked as a server and buser at the downtown Longmont business for about three years. "He was hilarious. He had an inside joke with everybody."

For many, those inside jokes were nicknames. Dad was "Chuckles or Pops." His aunt Perrie Sanders was "Slugger," and his aunt Shannon McCarrick was "Shanny."

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